


Mercury Rising

by Shadhavar1126 (Chimera428)



Series: One Shots, Prompts and Previews [1]
Category: Supercat - Fandom, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Office, One Shot, Super!Shipper Lucy, Sweat, UST, kinda smuty but not you must be 18 or older to ride this ride smutty, nO ac, no powers Kara, prompt, technical difficulties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:33:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6502726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chimera428/pseuds/Shadhavar1126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr prompt I happened upon by sheer accident but OMG YAAAAS:</p><p><a href="http://dudeitsmercury.tumblr.com/tagged/supercat/page/7">dudeitsmercury</a><br/>@ any supercat writers, here’s a fic prompt (that I’d give my left leg for if it means someone would bring it to life): AC goes out in the building. Prompt specifics at the end</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mercury Rising

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dudeitsmercury](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=dudeitsmercury).



> Wow I only noticed the tense changed midway through. Fixed that :) No Beta so mistakes/confusion are my own.

Kara precariously balanced the whole of her workload between her forearms, one hand occupied with Cat’s coffee, and the other clinging to her tablet. Her bag hung from the bend of her elbow swinging precariously as she meandered through the morning throngs to get to her desk. 

“Morning.” Winn offered through the distraction of whatever it was that had his attention. Kara glanced to his screen, noting window after window and various other processes running in every available space of his desktop.

“Really that’s it?” Kara smirked with her back to him, disentangling herself from her things, using one hand to pull things from her bag and set them up across her desk; never once setting down Cat’s coffee. “After everything that happened last night?”

Winn finished inputting some algorithm into his system before finally spinning his chair to face her. “Oh you mean where you tore up half the city and nearly died? Not to mention you practically went nuclear last night with the” he made a gesture with his fingers towards his eyes when she turned to look at him with a shocked expression. 

“I mean it Kara.” He pushed up from his chair, looking around the office to see if anyone was eavesdropping and lowered his voice when he neared her. “I could see you light up the sky from my apartment. That was more than halfway across the city from where you were. You’ve got to be more careful, we have no idea-”

“More careful? What so I should have just let that guy just go supernova because I might get hurt? He wasn’t going to stop and when I finally had him, instead of going back into another prison he pulled an ultimatum out of his hat. I didn’t have a choice.”

“I’m just saying Kara, you’re lucky you even have any powers after all that.”

“I’m fine, and I’m still fully loaded okay.”

“You just get a little-”

“A little what?”

“Forgetful.” James supplied as she saddled up to the pair, looking namely at Kara as the pair startled and turned to regard !him. 

“I do not.” She chided looking to Winn only to have her expression drop.

“Hey, it’s true, I would’ve said clumsy but forgetful is much better.”

Kara’s jaw went slack and she drew a breath to argue with the both of them until she heard the lilt of Cat’s voice setting a reminder to herself in her phone. “She’s coming.” 

James and Winn exchanged very nearly the same look as they watched Kara preen minutely, ensuring there were no stray hairs, lint or a snag to her appearance, discretely she heated up Cat’s coffee with a small burst of her heat vision not a second before the private elevator doors opened. 

“Here we go.” James murmured as Cat stalked through the elevator doors into the common area.

Kara was at her side and in stride within a half second, coffee handed off like an Olympic relay baton to the next sprinter as she went over the expectations of the woman’s schedule. The unforeseen element to her plan was instead of turning to her office she headed for James and Winn, the latter of which ducked away and slid back into his seat murmuring something about IT.

“James.” She practically sing-songed as she reached up and pulled her designer sunglasses from the bridge of her nose. “I need you to get in touch with Supergirl,” she glanced absently to Kara before shifting her weight to her other hip. Kara looked over her bosses’ shoulder at the man and shook her head ever so faintly before offering a quick smile to Cat when she turned to look over her shoulder at her. “I want her here by the end of the day.”

“It’s not like I’m calling a red phone in some super-secret cave that she sits around in all day or something Ms. Grant.”

He was greeted with a high lift of her eyebrow as she nibbled on the end of her sunglasses, looking him up and down as if he were nothing more now than an errant bug. “End of the day.” She stated before giving him a small point of her sunglasses and turning, Kara trailing after her. She turned briefly mouthing ‘I’msorry’ to him while Winn looked on before the two women slid into the confines of Cat’s fishbowl of an office. 

Winn stood beside James, hands going into his pockets as the pair of them watched Cat and Kara’s exchange. “You do realize she knows right?”

James made a face, crossing his arms over his chest. “Mmmhhhmm, and Kara has no idea.”

Winn shook his head slowly. “I know, it’s so obvious too.” 

“What’s obvious?”

Winn nearly jumped out of his skin which James turned on his heel fast enough to nearly dislocate his hip. 

“Lucy what’re y-?”

“Sweet blue blur how do you do that?!”

The former CatCo employee grinned looking at the pair, she was dressed casually enough, but James certainly knew casual or not she probably still had at least two guns and a knife on her given her new position within the D.E.O.. 

“You’d think with your reactions that I had tazed you.” She smarted off, looking between the two. “I came to check on Kara, she never reported back in after-” Lucy gestured in the air, expecting them to follow along with her implication only to look between the two men a hint of a smirk ghosting her lips. “I see she made it to work just fine.”

The two men followed Lucy’s gaze, Cat was standing at her desk, surrounded by a halo of tv’s all still reporting the events concerning Supergirl the night before. Kara was just on the other side, stiff backed and diligently typing into her tablet. There was the occasional moment where she was pulled from her bosses’ dictation when another network would recap Supergirl’s heroics until finally Cat herself turned and set her attention to the stories being run.

“She’s still adjusting.” James supplied somewhat solemnly, looking over at Lucy while she continued to watch the two women.  
Lucy refused to look at him, wrapping her arms across her chest as she watched Kara slowly track around Cat’s desk until the two of them were practically side by side. When she went back to watching one of the tv’s she noted Cat’s slight head turn in Kara’s direction, only to right herself when the younger woman dropped her features before looking at Cat once more. 

“I know.” Lucy agreed quietly, they all were it seemed. She drew a deep breath then, not wanting to dwell too much longer on the subject floating between the three of them. “I just don’t want her to adjust in such a way that she becomes reckless. I’ve never seen her do that before and clearly neither has she.” Lucy nodded forward towards the two women beyond the glass. Kara as talking about something, gesturing to one screen and then another while Cat watched and listened without interruption. 

“James thinks she knows.” Lucy looked up at the man in question, brow raising not unlike Cat’s a moment ago. 

“So do you Winn.” James offered back before glancing down at Lucy then back to the fishbowl. 

“Wanna bet on it?” She teased after a long pause between the three of them. She waited, looking between the two men before the three of them were exchanging rules and designations of what was a win vs a loss, time frames and then the wager itself before being interrupted once Kara vacated Cat’s office. 

“Why’re you guys still- Lucy?” She side stepped up to the three of them, namely the woman in question, keeping her voice low. “What’s wrong, what’s going on what’s happened?”

The rush of Kara’s words was enough to make her other boss laugh before she set a hand upon her shoulder. “Calm down. I’m just here to make sure you’re alright. You didn’t report back in and I think you blew out your communicator, when you weren’t home I came here-”

“Why if it isn’t Ms. Lane.” Came Cat’s voice from across the room. Having just caught sight of the woman, Cat waited until she felt she couldn’t any longer and ventured out of the bubble that was her office. The media mogul looked the brunette up and down, hands coming to settle on her hips. “Come to ask for your job back?”

James and Winn made themselves scarce, while Kara just turned, opening Lucy up to more of Cat’s scrutiny. 

“Oh, no I just.” She glanced at Kara, a wicked thought coming to mind as she stepped closer to the woman, setting an arm around her shoulders. “Seems Kara doesn’t know her own strength and she managed to blow a couple things out.” Lucy tipped her head towards Kara who was looking at her like a deer in oncoming headlights. “Isn’t that right hon?” 

Winn had the foresight to have sat back at his desk and was now watching Lucy’s display with wide eyes, his other hand wrapping around his mouth to keep the lower half of his expression from showing. James on the other hand was pretending to be busy with a photo layout he had picked up from Kara’s desk, though now he was looking at Lucy as if she’d grown two heads over the rim of it.

Cat’s expression was priceless, even if she kept the majority of her features schooled there was a sudden wrench thrown into the gears of her mind that was evident with the smallest of stutters in her frame as she shifted her weight to another hip. She studied Lucy as if she were a science project to be vivisected before expectantly cutting her eyes back to Kara.

Kara laughed nervously, reaching up to grab at Lucy’s hand, feeling the communicator pressed into her palm as she turned herself out of the wrap to face the other woman. “Yea, uhm, sometimes Scrabble just gets away from me.” She offered a lame smile while Lucy’s jaw flexed to keep herself from laughing. Cat on the other hand tipped her head like her namesake and looked between the four of them only to zero in on Lucy when she leaned into Kara’s personal space. 

“Is that what we’re going to call it from now on?” Lucy teased and Kara could have melted her on the spot with her heat vision. One of Cat’s hands slipped from her hip then when Lucy leaned closer, setting a small kiss on Kara’s check only to thumb off the lip print there. “You owe me a rematch then.” She smiled all too sweetly at Kara only to seem to come back into herself and her surroundings in an exaggerated manner. “Oh sorry, I almost forgot, there’s rules on PDA and fraternization.” Lucy looked at Cat then, who looked all at once crestfallen and ready to eat her alive. “Thankfully I’m not an employee but I know Kara is so I’ll just.” She thumbed over her shoulder, before setting her hands in her back pockets. “Call me later okay?” Lucy added with a small bite of her bottom lip and she swore Kara’s eyes actually lit up to fry her on the spot. 

Cat on the other hand cleared her throat, waving Lucy off. “Yes, thank you, continue on with the rest of your day elsewhere Ms. Lane.” She whirled on Kara and Winn turned his chair completely around while James suddenly had to go check on something near the elevators. The older woman stepped right up into her personal space then, searching her features candidly before tipping her chin upward. With an edge of a sneer she reached over then, her thumb pressing into the apple of Kara’s cheek with an almost bruising intensity. “Really not your color.” She muttered before rubbing the tint between her fingers roughly.

She cleared her throat then making Kara jump slightly. “I need the rest of the budget reports for this months’ magazine and the final proofs from the young Hollywood actor spread. Also I want this week’s digital edition postponed for next week.” She made a grand showing to point up at the TV screen running another story on Supergirl’s heroics as Kara followed with her eyes. “Get everything you can on that.” She crossed her arms over her chest then, stepping into Kara’s personal space even more so than Lucy initially had. “My girl had a big night and I want everyone to know the real story. So make sure James has her here before the day is out. I’ve got a meeting in three and I refuse to be late.” She smiled just as sweet as Lucy had, only with much more underlying malice before brushing past Kara and somewhere into the depths of her company. 

Kara stood in place for a good minute or more, even Winn was afraid she was in shock until he touched her and she startled. “What. Just. Happened.” She looked to him and he actually felt sorry for her. 

“I think Lucy thinks Ms. Grant knows.” Kara blinked and did a double take to look at him. 

“What?! What do you mean she thinks she knows?!”

Winn was up from his seat again, pulling Kara along down the hall to the stairwell leading up to their little lair before anyone else became privy to their conversation that didn’t need to be. 

“Could you be any more obvious Kara? I mean. Do you not have a volume control?”

“Winn what do you mean Lucy think’s Cat knows?” She pushed while he fidgeted, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. 

“Lucy thinks Ms. Grant knows about you know.” He gestured between them with a small series of nods waiting for her to follow along. 

Kara’s eyes went wide and she shoved at him, which was meant to be playful but in a blink he thudded against the wall. “Oh god I’m sorry.” She winced and reached for him to which he held up his hands. 

“Look. I’m not sure why Lucy did, well, all that, but, yeah I’ve got things to do, you have things to do, so let’s just all get to work and we’ll talk about it later but right now if Ms. Grant finds us out here or comes looking for you for something she forgot from her meeting-”

“Yes, okay, yes you’re right. And she doesn’t know. Not possible.” Kara made a face and shook her head. “Not in the least. Uhm.. So I’ll, go…” she hesitated looking at Winn. “You sure you’re okay?” 

He nodded to her emphatically. “I will be. Not because of the wall just, wow, this is yeah I’m going now,” and with that the pair parted company once they returned to the bullpen outside Cat’s office. 

The woman hadn’t returned yet which was all the better as Kara slipped back into her office to set up the usual array of after meeting requirements before getting underway with the last minute tasks Cat had given her prior. 

After an hour, maybe two, the office seemed to settle in its typical daily routine, every request had been set into motion and even now Kara was busy proofing the budget proposals from each office while attempting to make each request fit within the constraints accounting had supplied her with. Cat had returned to her office after about forty-five minutes or so, the impromptu meeting with the board had gone smoothly; a rarity for once, and she hadn’t managed to add too much to Kara’s ever present work load. 

Kara’s phone rang, pulling her from the depths of her task just as her rhythm set in. She made a face when it rang a second time, knowing if it rang again Cat herself might come out of her office and strangle her with the cord. “Cat Grant’s office, Kara speaking.” She tipped her head to the side slightly before nodding. “Absolutely, yes, place it on the usual account, get a temporary badge from security and I’ll meet you at the elevators. Thank you.” 

As if on que her own stomach growled as stood, causing Winn to glance over his monitor at her. “Lunch’s here.” 

“Clearly.” He murmured, going back to his work while Kara knocked on James’ office to pull his attention a moment after. 

Kara went about the usual routine, separating her lunch from Cat’s and leaving it on her desk before making her way into Cat’s office. The mogul barely looked over the rim of her computer at the younger woman as she gathered the proper plate and silverware for her meal, carefully transferring it from the container to the tray she had prepared. She stopped at the bar next, skimming through the available beverages there before selecting one from the third shelf and the appropriate glass only to halt with Cat’s voice right behind her. 

“Just water with lunch today.” Kara blinked and quickly replaced the lid on the decanter before returning it to its place. It was amazing she didn’t drop the bottle and looked up the mirrored back-splash for fear that if she turned around she’d accidentally touch the woman. 

“No problem Ms. Grant.” She reached up and adjusted her glasses then, feeling Cat’s eyes run over her features via her reflection until Kara dipped her chin down and turned slightly to look over her shoulder at her boss. “Do you want, er- need anything else?”

Cat hummed in amusement, eyes flickering down to Kara’s mouth then back up at their reflections, giving a small shake of her head. “No thank you Kiera. I’ll take it from here.” The younger woman nodded, looking forward again at their reflections before shifting to the right and slipping away, steps growing a touch more hurried the closer she got to the glass doors. 

“Oh and Kiera?” 

Kara had her hand on the door pull, frame turning to regard her boss again. “Yes Ms. Grant?”

“Next time you can put your own lunch on the account too.” 

Kara’s throat worked with an almost panicked swallow, maybe the woman did know. She tipped her head down in consideration before turning more fully. “I appreciate that Ms. Grant but that’s your personal one and it’s not that I’m not grateful but I uhm, I feel I should pay for my own meals especially when it takes me away from work and all.”

Cat raised a high brow, having gathered her meal, a bottle of water, and returned to her desk, only now just sitting down like some queen to a throne and when she didn’t add anything further to Kara’s response she pulled on the door.

“Thank you Ms. Grant, be right outside.” Her words were rushed and her skin tinged reddish as she slipped out and rounded her desk, swallowing hard and looking to the bag of food on top of it. If only Cat knew there were about 4 more that James was currently stashing away in their little hideout on the higher floors. It wasn’t that she couldn’t pick a small meal on Cat’s account, not if she brought food or had some delivered like now and had James hide them away. It was just so odd and out of left field for her boss to even offer. Especially considering how the morning had gone so far. 

Just as she took her first bite, letting her mind get into the thick of that implication the usual hum of the air vents slowed audibly enough for others around her to notice and start looking up before there was a loud clink of a sound and the cold air, or any air flow for that matter fell to an utter standstill. With a blink she looked around, seeing those in the office take notice before she looked through the glass walls of Cat’s office, eyes locking. “Oh no.” 

Cat tipped her head at an angle, forking a bite into her mouth and chewing daintily before wiping herself with a napkin and standing. “Kiera?” 

In a few steps she was back through the doors again, only staying near the entrance this time instead of making her way completely inside. “I think the air conditioning system just failed.” Already people behind her were standing on tables or chairs feeling for air from the nearest vents. 

“How astute? What was your first clue?” Cat let out a small huff before squaring her shoulders. “Have West check on the digital systems, find someone else to check the unit itself wherever it is and make sure it’s not something we have the resources to fix here. I’d like not to be considered incompetent should we send for a service man and they merely reboot a system or flick a switch somewhere.” 

“Yes Ms. Grant.” 

“And Keira?” 

“Yes?” 

“You might want to get rid of that cardigan, if this isn’t fixed soon, it’s going to get rather hot in here.”

“I,” Kara swallowed, clearing her throat from its breakage. “I thought you might send people home if it isn’t fixed in a reasonable amount of time.” 

Cat straightened further, fingers reaching for the jacket button near her waist as she flicked the object with her thumb with an ease befitting one who probably gets undressed in a matter of seconds while still managing to hang up said articles without an added wrinkle. “I’m sure I will, I’m not that tyrannical.” To be honest the thought had occurred to make everyone stay, then again there was a certain liability to be had if she did given the assured rise in temperature that was going to occur, when they could just as easily be sent home. There was always calling an all hands on deck Saturday which would make up for any lost hours’ her employees suffered from. 

Kara swallowed thickly as she watched Cat bend her shoulder’s back, her jacket slipping from the curves to reveal a rather thin button-up shirt. Coming into herself Kara moved, stepping fully into Cat’s office as she went over to the ensuite, leaning around the door in order to grab a hanger before quick stepping it over to the other woman’s desk. 

“Here.” She curled her fingers around the collar where it sagged between Cat’s shoulder blades, realizing that the shirt the woman wore was practically see-thru the closer it got to her skin. She cleared her throat quietly and with a careful grip eased the jacket off the other woman’s frame and onto a hanger completely.

Cat had the audacity to smile, looking over her shoulder at Kara. She adjusted her sleeves and the cuff links there that matched her other accessories before reaching up and fluffing her hair a bit. In that small stretch of movement, Kara noted that the collar of her shirt, tailored seams along her sides and the cuffs were the only solid material to be had as she moved. 

“Thank you Kiera.”

Kara drew in a sharp breath and held it, nodding absently to the other woman’s words as she tried not to look down at the sharp white contrast underneath the sheer fabric. She licked her lips unconsciously only to hear Cat’s voice and straightened away, getting a nose full of Cat’s perfume and soap as she fixed her hair. “W-welcome, I’ll just set this just inside so you’ll have it later.” 

Unseen behind her Cat smirked, watching the younger woman as she struggled with the door, curling her lips inward slightly to keep her amusement to herself as she squared her shoulders with a small shimmy, setting her hands atop her desk and pitching her weight to the ball of one foot. When Kara slipped back into the office she nearly tripped over air upon looking up. 

“Sorry, I- uhm, so I’m going to get Winn on the air, er uhm, James might be able to check the unit itself, I’ll get the model number if nothing else and see if I can’t find the manual.” Kara fought to keep her eyes up with Cat’s stance, hands held behind her back so the other woman couldn’t see her fingers nearly braiding themselves together. 

“Remind everyone in the break room as well, the refrigerators should be emptied just in case.” She eyed Kara a moment, head tipping towards one shoulder. “I always did hate wasted food.” She punctuated the words as if trying to make a point and Kara felt like her rib cage was going to explode. 

“Yes Ms. Grant.” She nodded, and her gaze strayed as she turned, immediately regretting the lapse as she felt her face flush on the way out. Thankful her back was to the woman as she grabbed Winn and then James before heading to the center of the room. 

Kara made quick work of the announcement about the break rooms and any perishables and that it would be more than alright if they were eaten at each owners’ desk just this once. She designated a few people to check different elements of what might be causing the outage, from a breaker, to wires, to the unit itself to the digital interface. She made sure everyone knew the procedures of how to treat heat stroke, should they be unable to get the air on and those that wished to stay started to exhibit signs. Reassuring anyone that should they need to go because of the rise in heat with the unit off they could make up the difference Saturday. A few employees cracked office windows, engineering a draft tunnel but the air movement was too reliant upon the elevator being used to draw air inward. Others opted to go home as the heat continued to rise, and given the hour of the day that didn’t seem to be waning anytime soon. 

Kara was in the process of shutting down unused computer systems to cut down on the heat output, thankful the servers for CatCo were on another series of floors on their own specialty system completely disconnected from the main units. 

“You should take your sweater off Kara. It’s going to make people suspicious.” Winn supplied, moving through the bank of computers across from her and talking under his breath. 

“I can’t.” She said with a somewhat urgent tone. “I don’t sweat.”

“Wait what?” 

Kara rolled her eyes and came around the line of desks, moving him out of the way as she shut another computer down. “I, don’t, sweat.” She repeated pointedly before straightening, adjusting her glasses in the process. 

“Oh… OH….oh.” Winn searched the air just off her shoulder in thought, his mouth opening a couple of times before he made a face. “We can’t exactly fake sweat. I mean a quick trip to the bathroom might...?” 

“I thought about that, but it’s not going to look right or anything.” Se flexed her jaw and made a face. “Human’s sweat, and it is -very- distinct.” She shook her head slightly before letting out a huff of a breath. “Oh that’s only going to get worse.” She murmured to herself before looking up at Winn. His brow was already balmy, his jacket was gone, shirt undone down the chest and his sleeves pulled midway up his arms. 

“Do we smell that bad?” He questioned with her worried expression to which she shot a look up at him. 

“No, well some, yes but no it’s not, no it’s other things but uhm, to me yes humans especially in groups can be overwhelming.” What she didn’t state was that sometimes individuals were equally overwhelming. 

“Welp, I checked the unit over, even with the references and repair guides in the manual itself for troubleshooting I can’t find anything wrong with it.” James returned from his little excursion, already his button up was gone, leaving him in a v neck undershirt that was already beginning to wick sweat from his skin. 

“Kara doesn’t sweat.” Winn supplied, looking the guy over before giving him an incredulous look that was waved off as he set his hands to his hips.

“You mean like a puppy?

“I am not a puppy.”

“Okay, so go in the bathroom and use water or something?”

“She says there’s no smell, that it’s not real enough.” 

Kara sighed looked between the two of them, nose crinkling at the pair. “Not only that but think about it, I’d be going to the bathroom every few minutes cause the water’s just going to dry out.” 

“Well you can’t hope to keep wearing that sweater Kara, more than half the office has at least taken their jackets off. What if you went home sick.”

“I don’t get sick either remember. That and Cat’s counting on me to be here with her until it’s fixed. Either that or I’m going to be here when the maintenance people get here until it's fixed then too.”

Just then another thought struck James and he stepped closer. “Kara are you.” He made it a point of looking down in a gesture to her clothing only to have her give him an odd look. Winn tipped his head to the side before he suddenly understood. 

“Oh!” When Kara looked at him he held the edges of his shirt together, pretending to unbutton them before prying it open like he’d seen her do many a time before. 

Her head almost turned completely around as she tried to figure out what the hell he was doing, all the while James couldn’t help but laugh, leaving Winn exasperated between the three of them. 

“The ‘S’ Kara.” He said through clenched teeth when a few employees looked their way. 

“I always have mysui…t.” Her eyes went wider. “I always, always.” She reiterated to both of them who nodded accordingly once she caught up with yet another dilemma. Suddenly it was if the Earth tipped on its axis, hitting her like a wave that made her reach out for the two of them, each grabbing an arm as she wavered. 

“Kara?”  
“What’s going on?”

She flexed her fingers, half expecting either of them to say something in response, and when they didn’t she actually flexed harder. “Oh no.” She whispered, feeling the temperature around her shift suddenly from regulated and comfortable to stuffy, hot, stagnant office air with a whisper of a breeze from opened windows nearly overwhelm her. 

“Kiera!” Cat’s voice broke through the din of her panic, sending three sets of eyes towards the moguls’ way. “I need you here to stay on top of things. Get yourself a bottle of water, James, Wes see her to her seat then try to get this air back on, though maybe if you took that hideous cardigan off you wouldn’t be so quick to wilt.”

Kara shook her head in the negative, letting go of the two men with a small nod to her well being before shifting uncomfortably, straightening the cardigan as she made for her desk, determined. “It’ll be fine Ms. Grant I just need some water, and something small to eat.”

Cat crossed her arms over her chest, forcing the thin fabric against the plains of her skin and allowing Kara to see the outlines there before swallowing and looking back up. “I need you here. If you have to, stand on my balcony for a few moments. If you get rid of that sweater, you’ll be much cooler I promise.” Her tone was quieter now that Kara was nearer, and perhaps even more sincere than when she had first stepped out. 

Kara herself found her chair comfortably, careful not to hit or bang or jam anything as she waited for her body to acclimate to her lack of powers. Why couldn’t this ever happen at night when she could sleep most of it off and then wake up and prepare herself for the day. No, instead both times it had to be in the middle of the day with no warning until she did something she otherwise would never have had to worry about. As it was, she wasn’t even sure what her heat tolerance was without her abilities. They really needed to run some tests outside of the D.E.O. for her limits and tolerances without her powers. 

“I’m not going to go anywhere.” She said doggedly, chancing another look up at her boss who had allowed her arms to drop before she hmm’d at her assistance response.

Hazel eyes looked the girl up and down from her seat, taking note of the thin veil of sweat starting to prick at her brow line near her hair. She leaned in closer, nearly assaulting Kara’s senses with the fullness of every scent she carried without being able to filter them all out. “At least put your hair up Kara, then send the art department and accounting home, no need for them to suffer under all those lights and computers.”

Kara swallowed pointedly, tamping down the sensations pushing at her unfiltered Kryptonian responses. She might be as vulnerable as any human being but she was still very much an alien by comparison and the draw of Cat upon her senses was almost intoxicating. She cleared her throat and nodded after a moment, pulling a hair tie from her desk and smoothing her hair up and into a mess of a bun, off her neck and away from her face. Only to startle and turn away from the other woman when Winn set a case of water on her desktop. 

“Here we go, round one of cold water for everyone.” He split the plastic surrounding the case, taking his own bottle and a few others for good measure to pass out while informing the remaining staffers where to find it. 

Kara and Cat reached in at the same time, fingers colliding and practically threading through one another’s before Kara pulled her hand back in a flourish and a thud as her elbow collided with the arm of her chair. “Ow.” 

Cat actually chuckled, low and deep in her throat, plucking a bottle up and examining the label before twisting the cap and taking a drink. Still holding her elbow Kara sat awestruck as her boss downed the bottle, the way her throat rolled and stretched the further she tipped it up, how even her expression seemed to be on the edge of pure ecstasy with the flavorless beverage. Kara’s lips parted on their own as she finished, without pausing once, coming away from the mouth of it with a clichéd ‘ah’ sound before wiping the smallest drop of water from the swell of her bottom lip with the back of her hand. 

“Don’t forget about art Kiera.” Cat snatched another bottle, hooking it between two fingers before stepping away and back into her office, leaving Kara slack jawed and dry mouthed. 

Another long, hot hour, passed, less than half of the staff remained, including James and Winn, and Kara was sure if she drank another bottle of water to try and keep herself cool it would be too soon. After her umpteenth trip to the bathroom she finally relegated herself to her fate. Unaware of the audience on the other side of the glass from her desk she pulled her chair back, turning the back towards herself as she began to unbutton her cardigan.

Cat remained seated at her desk, watching over the rim of her laptop as Kara finally caved, she pulled at the bottom swell of her lips with her teeth as she watched lithe fingers pry apart each little barricade until she bent her arms behind herself, catching the edges of her sleeves. Her breath caught momentarily as she watched Kara’s body bow forward, straining against her blouse. 

Cat’s mind skipped like a record on the article, head popping up slightly as she took note that underneath the cardigan Kara had on a long dark blue blouse with button sleeves. She made an amused exhale through her nose and nearly dropped her pen in the process. “Of course.” She murmured to herself, head tilting to the side momentarily as she considered the woman. Her shoulders and arms were elegantly toned and proportioned rather nicely, it was almost a shame to hide them beneath blouses, sweaters, jackets and other swaths of clothing that just sort of muffled Kara’s physique. 

She hadn’t noted any scars, none that were anything that one might need to build confidence up in order to show in public. No major breaks, surgeries or accidents, then again Cat was merely thinking on a superficial level there, just because one was physically attractive to others, herself included, didn’t mean there weren’t other turmoil’s that shattered one’s personal outlook towards others. Especially in a public setting or the work environment. She shifted her jaw then, taking into consideration of what little she did know of Kara’s past, beyond black and white and paper of course, she wondered if the woman was indeed that lacking. No sooner did she think of the woman’s name did she find her looking up through the glass at her. She saw the tension in her body, the jolt of muscle in her neck and the sudden swiftness to adjust her glasses as if the image she was being relayed with wasn’t in proper focus. 

“Kiera!”

Another jump, another carefully woven path into her office, tablet at the ready. 

“Yes Ms. Grant?” 

“Go ahead and sit, it’s cooler in here anyway and I want to go over the rest of my schedule this week with you and add a contingency schedule should the air still be out after today.” Cat rose as Kara sat, something was off, she was concentrating much too hard on the tablet in front of her, getting the proper programs open and ready. 

“Ready when you are.” Kara stated with a low tone, swallowing hard and nearly shaking as she selected a new tab to start writing.

Cat slowly made her way around the desk, studying her assistant carefully, hoping she wasn’t starting to succumb to heat stroke or something. “Alright, contingency schedule. I have a follow up meeting from today with the board, two pm tomorrow reschedule that for Friday.” She began pacing in front of it, gesticulating about the week, which departments were a must have even for the remainder of the day and Saturday. 

It wasn’t until she put her back to Kara that the woman even looked up and nearly dropped her tablet. Cat’s entire back was see-thru now, as if someone had sprayed a fine mist across the thin fabric and then pulled it taut against the woman’s skin. She felt her chest cave, watching the sway of her lower back muscles as she walked, the dip in the small of her back where Kara had always longed to set her hand and guide her through a door of some restaurant or something while on a date. The fullness of the curve of her ribs, each minute divot just begging for her fingers to filter between. The stark contrast of her designer bra against her skin, as if that were the only true article of clothing she was wearing right now; and the way her shoulder blades fanned out, like small wings as she gestured and plotted her words in the air. 

She only caught about every other word the woman said, as she stood in front of the balcony windows now in profile, fingers absently reaching up to undo one of the buttons of her shirt, allowing her to finger its edges and make a small bellows against her chest and down across her abdomen to try and relieve herself of some of the heat. 

With a hard swallow Kara’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the drop of sweat trailing down the column of Cat’s throat towards the newly revealed flat of her chest and beyond. Marveling at the droplet and its ability to stain the woman’s shirt sheer in its wake. Her own chest was quick to expand, her breathing having increased exponentially, sweat gliding down between her shoulder blades when Cat’s body turned towards her again. The skin of her abdomen teased against the fabric of the shirt, pulling and sticking as if she were coated in warm glazed icing. Despite the absurdity of the thought she couldn’t help but lick her lips, pulling the bottom swell inward and biting down on it as Cat undid another button just between her breasts, fanning the material out again. 

Cat herself had stopped talking the moment she turned profile to Kara, going so far as to ask if the woman was even listening before she had undone the first button. She felt her eyes dilate at the unconcealed reaction from Kara, all hot and genuinely bothered at the site of her, framed in the mid afternoon sun and getting hotter and wetter by the minute. She licked her own lips then, seeing Kara’s eyes trail across her torso and then follow her fingers as they pulled her attention. She took slow deliberate steps towards the other woman, careful not to startle her as she pried the second button with an aching slowness, dipping her fingertips unto the hollow between her breasts, sliding across wet skin and sending thin rivulets downward to expose more of her shirt and render it see-thru. 

The clearing of Cat’s throat was a dangerous sound, one that could potentially shatter everything building up to this moment. She was a few steps from Kara’s knees, and almost instantly the other woman’s head tipped up and their eyes locked and Kara's widened. Her hand was in mid-air between them, her tablet pen somewhere on the floor, fingertips no more than a breath away from Cat’s exposed stomach and just like that they twitched and closed like a clam.

“Rao, I’m sorry Ms Grant.” She said thickly, forgetting herself with the curse, pushing to a stand, leaving her tablet behind and regretting it instantly. For one she came into full contact with every scent draped across Cat’s body like a fur coat. The combination was heady and toyed with her olfactory senses causing her to make a fist against her thigh in an effort to maintain control. For two, she couldn't escape, not without touching the other woman or stepping into her space completely to try and force her back. 

“Why?” Cat was well aware of those that still remained in her building, the majority of which weren’t anywhere near her office as the pair stood there facing one another. 

Cat glanced down at the sight of the seeping color of Kara’s shirt beginning to darken where it was buttoned at her neckline before she flicked her eyes back up, raising a brow expectantly. She chanced a half step closer, watching Kara’s neck stiffen and the muscles pull before the woman adjusted her glasses again. “Don’t make me do it for you.” 

There was a glint of something in Kara’s eyes with Cat’s words, eyes that searched out the ones in front of her before her fingers skittered across the buttons at her throat. With deft movements she didn’t even think herself capable of she started to unbutton her blouse, once she reached the second button she gripped one edge, utilizing physics and her own sense memory for prying her shirt off nearly every single day, pulling and twisting, sending the edges of her shirt apart in a rapid fire protest of buttons being yanked through fabric. 

Cat held her breath for a half second, only to have the brow furrow slightly when no ‘S’ was revealed to her. She flicked her eyes up then back down as Kara stretched in the confines of her half undone shirt, prying her sleeves off and back before pulling the rest of the garment out from her waistband. It was Cat’s turn to swallow hard when the younger woman actually handed her her own shirt, leaving Kara dressed in a skin tight tank top that stretched over her lean torso and a sheen of sweat across her exposed skin. 

Seeing Cat’s sudden hitch in breathing, the flare of her nostrils and breathing in the sudden rush of pheromones into the air, Kara wavered closer. The muscles in her arms and shoulders springing to life in their contour, accentuated by that thin luster; giving her a sort of halo wherever the sunlight found her skin. 

“Anything else.” Their noses barely brushed, skin kissing skin with enough heat to make the older woman gasp as Kara’s fingertips connect with her abdomen through the tissue of her shirt, curling near her hip as if to un-tuck it. “Miss Grant?”

Not one to be outdone Cat actually tipped her chin upward, very nearly forcing their lips together with her little challenge while her hand fisted Kara’s shirt all the more tightly. “That will be all.”

Kara’s fingers curled tighter, threatening to undo the seal of Cat’s shirt before the faintest of head shakes was given to her by the mogul. She blinked once, then again reluctantly releasing Cat’s shirt before stepping back. With a visible swallow she grabbed for her tablet, knowing the pen she could get later, right now she needed to get out of that office, out of that room overflowing with the very essence of Cat Grant made vapor before she shoved her out on the balcony and fucked her on the couch. 

The thought alone shocked Kara cold as she slipped out of the fishbowl and back to her desk, stopping long enough to set her things down and grab a bottle of water with trembling hands. She turned partly looking back behind herself only to find Cat still rooted to the spot, hand coiled around her blouse like a lifeline. Her breathing was still visible, even from where Kara stood farther away now. She watched the bobble of her throat as she swallowed only to get caught once again staring by those hazel eyes. There was a determination set in them before the woman moved, never breaking eye contact before disappearing from view into her ensuite with a resounding thud.

An hour later the sharp hum of the air conditioner would break the tension in the office, sending those remaining into an outburst of relief and joy. Even Cat seemed to offer a small smirk before she responded that everyone needed to get back to work, even if there were technically only a few more hours in the day for most of them. Kara by that point had relegated herself to making a list of those who were in the building and those that left early, for HR as well as for Cat’s personal records. It wasn't until Winn told Kara another hour later, when he’s been able to compare the systems in the building to each other, how weird it was that only their floor lost ac, that she looked up at Cat through the glass walls again. Realization slowly setting in on her still bare shoulders. 

“She did that on purpose.”

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt specifics were:
> 
>  
> 
> • Usual office day at CatCo., but then the centralized AC system shuts down unexpectedly  
> • Kara looks through the glass walls to meet Cat’s eyes when at the same time she mouths, “Oh no”.  
> • Cat had planned the whole thing because: 1. She misses sleeveless Kara 2. She’s wearing a thin buttoned-up shirt underneath her work jacket 3. She wants Kara to squirm when she sees through said shirt 4. “My company, my rules… or lack thereof.”  
> • Kara’s the only one who doesn’t strip off her cardigan because she doesn’t sweat unless it’s her off day  
> • Unfortunate for her (fortunate for Cat) an hour later, her powers blow out  
> • “Why don’t you take off that hideous cardigan, Kiera?” to which Kara replies with a shaking head and an uncomfortable expression  
> • After another long, hot hour, Kara finally takes off her cardigan to reveal a blouse (Cat is definitely disappointed)  
> • “Kiera!”  
> • Cat talks about her schedule and meetings for next week as she takes off her jacket and slowly unbuttons her shirt from the top  
> • Kara’s eyes can’t help but stare at the drop of sweat gliding down from Cat’s neck to her chest (2nd button popped)  
> • Her eyes go back to Cat’s as the latter clears her throat  
> • A glint in Kara’s eyes and her blouse is off  
> • Lo and behold, Kara in a tank top with a light sheen of sweat  
> • “Anything else, Miss Grant?”  
> • Cat’s breathing may or may not have become labored  
> • “That will be all.”  
> • An hour later the AC turns back on  
> • Winn tells Kara it was weird that it only happened on their floor


End file.
